The bags helping people with mental health problems

“I turn to my bag to make sure that I keep myself safe,” says Jenny Davies*, one of those with mental health problems who has benefited from the Recovery Bag Project.

The project was set up to provide solace and comfort to people experiencing mental health crises by sending them bags with items such as hand cream and hand busying toys such as “tangles” to support positive behaviour and offer distraction.

Its founder, Polly Rogers, a self-described “mental health warrior”, explains how her own experiences during recovery led her to set up the scheme. “I would phone the crisis team and attend all my appointments, which were useful, but when I was sat in my moment of distress I had little right there and then to help me. So I made myself a recovery bag.

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“I needed a practical kit at the end of my fingertips so as soon as I noticed the intrusive thought I could engage with something to help me ride the wave of that feeling and significantly reduce or remove the risk of self-harm. Very soon, I realised that this was something I want to share to help others struggling in the same way as me.”

Rogers set up a crowdfunding page and, with family and friends, tried to boost funds in a range of ways, from car boots to bake sales.

Davies describes how receiving a bag helped her: “I was in a bad place, battling severe depression, including suicide attempts and self-harm that often required medical attention which I was too afraid to obtain.

“There were various items in my bag, which have been now transferred into a crisis box for when I am in need of support to keep myself safe … mindfulness colouring, positive notes, a letter and notebook about the project as well as other various calming techniques. Thanks to Polly, I was able to take myself out of crisis and call some of the helplines on the list she provided and helpmyself to get help.”

Medical professionals agree that such kits can be helpful. Tim Farmer, a registered mental health nurse and mental capacity consultant based in Gloucestershire, says: “Myself and other professionals have used similar therapeutic toolkits to help individuals manage their mental health with good effect. Among other things it offers hope and support to many people – especially those feeling isolated or alone – and used correctly it can be a welcome addition to their healthy coping strategies.”

But Farmer is keen to emphasise the need for bags to be carefully curated: “They must contain things that the person receiving it can relate to in a positive way and utilise alongside their current, healthy coping strategies.”

Dr Bill Tiplady, consultant clinical psychologist at central and north-west London NHS foundation trust, agrees initiatives like this can be effective, but notes that they must “go hand in hand with recovery-focussed mental health services”. Like Farmer, he considers one of the chief benefits to be the solidarity created by the community surrounding the project: “… it can be so helpful to know that there are communities of other people who have had similar experiences,” he says.

Rogers is using a range of social media outlets, including Twitter and Instagram, to raise awareness of the project and reach out to potential bag users. She explains that this can be a better way to connect with them than conventional medical routes. “Often, people who suffer with some form of mental illness are for many reasons unable to access NHS mental health care if there is a waiting list or they don’t fit the criteria, or if they are not yet able to seek professional help and are struggling alone,” she says.

“When they are in that crisis point they find it extremely difficult to reach out for help there and then, so this bag enables them to help themselves until they are calm enough to seek the professional help they deserve and need.”

Kymberly Birch explains why she applied to the project: “I got the bag just after I had moved to a new town for a fresh start after I was discharged from a psychiatric hospital. My recovery journey had begun but as I was away from my support system, my mental health was slowly declining again. So I spoke with Polly and she said she would send me a bag.

“[It was full of] little things that I would never have thought of getting to help me, being 21 years old, but it’s helped so much during crisis situations and everyday recovery battles. It’s my go-to box when I’m struggling or need to escape my mind for a little bit.”

Motivated by the positive feedback she has received – nearly 90% of those sent a bag said it made them feel more hopeful – Rogers has big plans for the project, including working in partnership with schools to encourage students to create their own recovery bags.

She says: “The bags mark the beginning of what will be an incredibly resourceful project for individuals living in the UK with mental illness.”